


The Holmes Siblings

by willowmellontree



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Child Abuse, Hospitals, M/M, Mycroft Being a Good Brother, Runs with the same times but Sherlock and Mycroft are younger, Sherlock Being Sherlock, Siblings, be cautious anyway, bit of angst, unfinished but I think it doesn't need to go on any longer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:34:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24093685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willowmellontree/pseuds/willowmellontree
Summary: What if Sherlock and Mycroft had another sister as well as Eurus. What if their sister was way more intelligent then the three of them but had the biggest heart. What if she taught them not to be so emotionless.
Relationships: Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade
Kudos: 13





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> There is mentions of abuse at the beginning but nothing graphic.

When Mycroft was little, he had the time of his life. He was allowed to climb trees and roll about in the mud and be as loud as he wanted, so basically like every other small child his age. Of course, he was smarter than everyone else and generally different but nobody cared. That was until the new baby arrived. His mother came home from the hospital one day and told him to go to the library to study and she told him to not make a sound. The New baby was called Eurus and his parents seemed to put all of his attention on her. They didn't let him play anymore or do anything really except keep quiet. Soon enough, he forgot how to have fun and be loved so he didn't really care that all he did was study. Everything changed again about a year and a half later when Mycroft was nearly seven and three quarters. His mother had another baby and named him William but everyone called him Sherlock as it suited him better. About a month later, Violet Holmes came into the library to see what Mycroft was doing but instead of complimenting her son on his work, she said, "Mycroft, I need you to look after Sherlock because we're going to the beach this weekend."

Mycroft sighed. They often left him here while they went out somewhere, but they hadn't told him to look after his younger siblings before. "What about Euros. Do I have to look after her as well?" He asked his mother quietly.

"No. We're taking her with us because she deserves to go out sometimes." She said back to him and retreated out of the room. "You're brother is in the nursery."

Mycroft knew better than to say anything against it. Only an idiot would talk back to Violet Holmes. He waited until he heard the Bently pull away from the courtyard. It wasn't really a courtyard but Mycroft liked to think it was, after all, it was 1992 so lots of people must have courtyards. The young boy packed away his book and placed them neatly on their respectable shelves before making his way towards the nursery. Little baby Sherlock was asleep in his cot just as Mycroft had hoped he would be. He sighed and sat off the window seat that faced the garden where all of the gravestones were. They were dotted around the place with no real reason to be there except make the place look more creepy than it already was. Mycroft looked around his brother's room. It was smaller than his or Eurus's room and had hardly anything in it about from the cot that used to be his and a few essential baby things. He knew from that moment that Eurus was his parent's favorite child and they couldn't be bothered with himself or Sherlock so he made a promise that he would look after his brother no matter what. 

Over the next few years, the three children in the house grew up a little more and the attention that Sherlock and Mycroft got from their parents grew a little less. Mycroft was now ten years old and he had just come home from the first day of high school as his mother made him go a year early. He walked up the path to the front door and he almost got knocked over when sherlock suddenly appeared and gave him a hug. Mycroft ruffled his hair and opened the door to the kitchen where Eurus was getting all of the attention from their mother. The two boys walked past them and they went to the Library where Mycroft threw his bag down and dramatically sat on his favorite chair. "What did you get up to today Lock?" He asked his little brother once he pulled out some homework. 

Sherlock sat on the floor and leant back on one of the shelves. "I made a friend. His name is Victor and we played Pirates." He said to his brother.

"That's nice brother. Is he real or part of your imagination?" The older boy said as he started to write an essay. The only reason he was writing an essay was that the teachers wanted to see how much he could do.

"Yes, he's real," Sherlock replied. "Victor Trever lives the other side of the River by the woods. I was looking for something to do as you weren't here so I explored a little bit. He told me that Pirates was the best game in the world and he taught me how to play it. I really like pirates. Can I be one when I'm older?"

Mycroft smiled to himself. "You can be whatever you want brother. But I hope you didn't go into the woods."

"No, I didn't. Victor wants me to go and play tomorrow." He said.

"That's nice," Mycroft muttered. He was mostly concentrating on his work as it was due in for tomorrow but he didn't want to leave Sherlock out as he was the only one that gave him any attention. It actually made him less worried that his little brother had someone to be with while he was at school.

More time went past and Eurus went strangely quiet. She started to act weird and stay in her room for all hours of the day. Of course, their parents were extremely worried about her and they acted like they only had one child. Sherlock continued to be friends with Victor and Mycroft stayed top of the school. It all seemed alright but it wasn't. Mycroft was picked on most days because he was different but he didn't tell anyone. Not that there was anyone to tell as Sherlock was too little and his parents would tell him to man up. There was this one time a few weeks later when his parents decided to have a family outing where they all got to go. They went to a lake a few miles away and they even let Sherlock bring Victor. This was one of the first times when their parents paid attention to Sherlock. Mycroft sat on a rock as he watched his brother run around with his friend wearing Pirate hats and eye patches. He saw his sister looking at them with a hint of jealousy in her eyes but he just shrugged it off. 

A few weeks later, Mycroft came home from school and Sherlock came running up to him with worry in his eyes.

"What's wrong lock?" He asked his brother.

"Victor's gone. I can't find him anywhere and Eurus keeps singing something like a puzzle and I can't work it out. She knows where he is but she won't tell me and then Mummy told me off for shouting at her." He said in dismay. 

Mycroft sighed. "Don't worry brother, he probably had to stay home or something."

"No, he's not. I went to his house and they said they haven't seen him since Tuesday." Sherlock retorted.

Mycroft stood there and thought for a bit. "Ok, I'll help you find him later but this is something that the police should really look into."

Sherlock smiled and ran off into the garden.

They didn't find him and not long that, Eurus burnt the house down. Of course Violet and Siger blamed it on Mycroft for not looking after his sister. Time went by. Eurus got locked up and Sherlock forgot about it all. His mood changed and he became sadder like he was grieving but he didn't know what for. Soon it was time for him to start high school and for Mycroft to go away to university. Mycroft knew it would affect Sherlock a lot when he left but he told him that he would be back for the holidays. Sherlock went to school every day and excelled in every class apart from the few that he refused to learn from. He didn't make any friends and just like his brother, he was picked on endlessly and maybe a bit worse. Apparently teenagers were more mean in 2002 then they were in 1995 but it's not like that mattered. Mr. and Mrs. Holmes seemed to blame Sherlock more for everything now that Mycroft and Eurus weren't in the house anymore. In fact, they just let him do his own thing and didn't tell him anything as they hardly bothered to even look at him. He decided that if they weren't bothered then why should he be bothered.

In 2005, Mycroft had gone for a long period of time. Something to do with the government apparently and Sherlock was always out of the house so it came to a shock for both of them when they heard the news that they had a baby sister. Mycroft came home immediately and Sherlock waited outside his parent's room to see if he could see her. Mycroft came thought the open front door and walked towards his little brother.

"When did this happen?" He asked Sherlock.

Sherlock looked at his appearance. "Since when did you start wearing three-piece suits. Nobody would know that you're twenty-one."

Mycroft rolled his eyes. "I like suits. Now back to the point, when did this happen?" He waved his hand in the general direction of the door.

"I don't know. I didn't even realise she was pregnant because I'm never in the house. The possibility of it never entered my mind." Sherlock answered back. "Why is she even having more children anyway. She couldn't even look after the ones she has." He caught amusement in his brother's eyes. "What. I have no time to look after anybody. And what will she do when I leave in two years?"

"Why are you leaving?" Mycroft asked.

"Why would you assume I'm staying here until I'm eighteen?" He answered back.

Mycroft sighed. "Where do you go then when you're not here?"

"I go to London and gate crash on crime scenes." He said and before Mycroft could even say anything back, the door opened. 

Mrs. Holmes walked out of the room and stared at the two boys as if she had only just noticed she had two boys. "Oh, Mycroft you're back. That's good. This is your sister India. I need you to look after her while I go and see a friend in surrey." She said and walked out of the house with a suitcase.

"How is she doing that?" Sherlock asked once she was gone.

Mycroft crossed his arms. "I have no idea."


	2. (---I---)(---N---)(---D---)(---I---)(---A---)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter full of angst and has heavy child abuse in it.

Time flew past and suddenly it was 2007. Sherlock had left home like he said he furthered his education in London. He was currently looking for a flat but in the meantime, he had to stay at Mycroft's house. It didn't bother him but he got tired of being told what to do all the time so he kept going to crime scenes. Mycroft had gotten himself into a minor position in the government. Well, he says it's minor but he secretly helps run the country. He has weekly meetings with the Prime minister so they can discreetly work around each other. The boys had only left their parents home a few months ago when Mycroft had put his foot down when Violet had told them to look after their sister again. He told her that he couldn't afford to keep coming down to Sussex every day because they couldn't be bothered to look after her so they left. Mycroft hoped it was the right decision but it couldn't be too bad and they would hopefully learn how to look after a child. 

One afternoon, Mycroft had some spare time and so he thought about his younger siblings and their parent's choice of names. He wrote them on a bit of paper and annotated them, starting with his name.

**Mycroft Siger Alexander Holmes**

**Mycroft- means the mouth of a stream that runs in a field.** (Odd but that's mummy for you.)

**Siger- Named after father. Doesnt really mean anything.**

**Alexander- Means defending men.** (Probably the most normal name I have.)

Conclusion: I am a stream that defends people. 

**Eurus Violet Charlotte Holmes**

**Eurus- Means God of the East wind. Greek**

**Violet- A flower and named after mummy**

**Charlotte- French female version of Charles from 18th century France.**

Conclusion: Euros is a flower that is blown from the east.

** William Sherlock Scott Holmes **

**William- Means helmet protection or something.**

**Sherlock- Something about having blonde hair.**

**Scott- means a Gaelic speaker.**

Conclusion: Sherlock is a blonde garlic speaker with a helmet. 

** India Harmonia Skye Holmes **

**India- means river**

**Harmonia- Means the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares in Greek Mythology.**

**Skye- Means sky.**

Conclusion: She has the least weird combination of names that any of us have.

Mycroft sat back in his chair and looked out of the window. Now he had three younger siblings to looks after but thankfully, India was only two years old so she wouldn't be running around causing mayhem just yet. He went back to his ever-rising pile of paperwork.

Sherlock meanwhile was skipping a perfectly boring day at school because he had heard there was a case going on in the center of London. He had already gatecrashed the scene and told Lestrade that he would find the murderer in precisely an hour and thirteen minutes. It would have normally taken quicker but there was a flat in Bakerstreet that he seemed interested in si he went there first. In a few minutes, the landlady had shown him in and made him a cup of tea. He looked around the flat and saw there was enough space for him and all of the experiments he would do so he said he would take it and that he would contact her when everything was sorted. Of course, he would leave Mycroft to do the complicated stuff because he didn't really know how to deal with that stuff. He went back to the crime scene and told Lestrade who the murderer was with an exact location and a few details of the people that also knew what he had done.

About seventy miles south of London, India was in her room looking at the bare walls. Her bothers had gone a few months ago so she was alone. She felt dejected and tired. She understood that her mother didn't give Mycroft or Sherlock any attention when they were little but she gave India attention. It was the sort of attention that nobody wanted or deserved. She kept making the little girls do all the work around the house and she didn't say anything nice, she said the worst things. She kept saying that she wouldn't be as good as Eurus and that Eurus was better then she would ever be. India learned later on that Eurus was her big sister but she had died or something. Mrs. Holmes would just shout at her and say she was disappointed in her because she wasn't what her sister was. As time got on, the insults got worse and India lost hope. It was August 2009 when things really got out of hand. Violet Holmes thought that verbal abuse wasn't enough so she slapped her and hit her and one time, she got a ruler and hit her on the back with the edge of it. India didn't scream though either did she cry. She just went up to her room and sat on the bed in silence but she couldn't fall asleep until early in the morning. She found that the hits from the ruler had bled quite a lot and it scared quite a bit. The wounds were slightly dirty though and she hoped they wouldn't be too bad. The sixth of September came and India nearly forgot it was her fourth birthday. She got up like she normally did and tried her hardest to avoid her mother so she went out into the garden. She stayed there for a few hours and wished Mycroft or Sherlock could come and get her but then her mother called her inside so she went. Her mother was in the kitchen with her arms crossed when she came in. Not a good sign.

"You know what." Violet Holmes started. "I'm sick and tired of having to see you every day. Get out of my house and never come back."

"Where will I go?" India quietly asked.

Mrs. Holmes rolled her eyes. "I don't care so long as I never have to see you again. Do you understand me?" 

"Yes, Ma'am." India nodded and took her shoes outside. She put them on and left the property. The small girls new where she had to get to but she didn't know how to get there. All she knew was that to get to London, she had to go North and hopefully, she would bump into Mycroft when she got there. It was ten in the morning so hopefully, she would get to London by nightfall. She set off to the direction of the town that her mother goes too. She knew there was a London road nearby and hopefully all London road headed to London. It took her three hours to walk there and she had to take a rest. She looked at the nearest church clock and saw that she had misplaced time and that it was nearly five in the evening. She walked well into the night or into the morning and found some sort of wood so she found a place that would hopefully be safe and she fell asleep. Over the next few days, She walked endlessly and ate some berry that was thankfully safe to eat this time of year. She lost track of time and everything and realised that some of the wounds had opened again and some dirt had gotten in them. She was glad that she could read a bit so she looked at the signs. One of them said Welcome to Reading. She didn't know at this time that she had gone too far so she asked someone the way to London. They pointed her into that direction and she followed it. She finally got to the M25 and had to try and somehow get to the other side of it which would be a challenge but she managed it but ended up getting lots of scraped from a thorn bush. She thought it would be a good idea to have a few hours rest before she made her way into the bit in London where everyone was. She started off again but she got slower with every step. She reached a place called Kensington which she remembered Mycroft saying was in London so she kept telling her self she was nearly there. She walked for about an hour more and the last thing she remembered was seeing a Tesco and then she fell in exhaustion to the ground.

Gregory Lestrade had been walking about the area when someone shouted for help. He got into action and ran to the place where he heard it and saw a group of people surrounding someone. He held out his badge and told everyone to clear off so he could deal with the situation. He saw a little girl on the ground with raven black curly hair and she was very dirty and obviously not well looked after. He checked in with the Yard and called St Marys Hospital that he was taking someone in. There was no point calling the hospital, it was only a few minutes down the road so he carried her. It wasn't the best idea but there was really no point. He took her in and immediately a few nurses came in and he told them the situation. They immediately took her to a small hospital room and he lay her down in the bed. A doctor came in and took a few tests. He said that she would have to stay in before they could do anything as she had to wake up and try to get a name.

A few days went and Greg stayed at the hospital. He wouldn't want to imagine what it would be like if you suddenly found yourself in a hospital with no one there. He saw the girl wake up and he gave her a water bottle. She drank out of it like she hadn't drunk for a long time and he reminded himself that she probably hadn't. She looked at him in question so he thought he should tell her what happened. "I'm Greg Lestrade. I'm a policeman and I'm here to help you." Greg wasn't used to talking with children her age as it never came up in the job.

India squinted her eyes and lay down. She couldn't remember where she had heard the name before but it was probably something Mycroft had talked about a while ago. "I'm India." She closed her eyes. She was in pain but she didn't say anything.

"Could you tell me who your family is?" Greg asked her.

India sighed. "I'm looking for Sherlock and Mycroft. They're my brothers."

Greg stumbled back. "Sorry what?" He asked. "How did you get here?"

India rolled her eyes. "Yes, they're my brothers. Mummy told me to get out of the house so I went to look for them. I started walking on my birthday and I assume I'm in London?"

Greg nodded. "Yes, you're I'm London. I'll go and ring Mycroft to tell him you're here. Go and get some rest." Greg walked out of the room and India suddenly realised she was hooked onto some wires. There was a clock so she watched it. About an hour went by and Greg came back in followed by Mycroft. India sat up when she saw him and started crying. 

The older Holmes brother sighed when he saw her. He nearly had a heart attack when Gregory told him that she had been walking to London since her Birthday. Today was the twenty-fifth of September. Mycroft went up to her and stroked her hair. "What happened little sister?" 

"Nothing really. Mummy didn't want me anymore so she told me to go. I didn't know where London was but I went via Reading." She whispered. She was getting sleepy again.

Mycroft closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Reading is in the complete opposite direction."

"I gathered that." Mycroft went to go when he saw she was going to sleep. "Don't go, brother." He stayed and she fell asleep not long later.

He stepped outside with Greg. "What am I going to do Gregory. I've got a brother that goes into crime scenes and I have a sister that can walk all the way from Sussex to London in twenty days."

"I have no clue Mycroft but at least she's safe," Greg said.

Mycroft nodded and called Sherlock. Sherlock said that she could stay in Baker street with him while everything is sorted out. Meanwhile, India was in the hospital fast asleep for the first time since Mycroft and Sherlock left.


	3. The time between the hospital and a study in Pink

The next day, Sherlock came up to the hospital to see his sister. When he walked in, she was currently reading an Agatha Cristie book which didn't surprise Sherlock as she way above the average reading age. He sat next to her in his Belstaff coat and he deduced everything in the room. 

"When can I get out of here?" India asked after a while without taking take her eyes off the book.

Sherlock looked at her. "Later today apparently but the doctors said you have to rest once you get home. Mycroft would take you but his work is unpredictable so he won't be there to look after you."

"I thought you were a detective. Wouldn't your work be unpredictable?" She questioned

"Yes, but the difference is that we have Mrs. Hudson." He stood up. " I'll pick you up later. Some people are already working in your bedroom so it should be ready soon." He left the room and made his way to Scotland yard as there was a case on.

India closed the book and sighed while laying down in the bed. She hadn't told anybody what her mother had done but only because they didn't ask and they didn't need to know. She closed her eyes for a moment and fell asleep until one of the nurses came in and took the wires out of her arm. She didn't know what they were called but she knew that one of them was a pain reliever and one of them was to keep her hydrated. She took a sip from the glass of water that was next to her and the Mycroft came in with the Doctor who didn't seem very happy that she was going. She took the blankets off her and sat up as she stretched. Her brother put some clean pajamas next to her on the bed and asked her is she could manage by her self. She said she could and Mycroft pulled back the curtain while she got changed. A few minutes later, she slipped around the curtain and threw her arms around her brother. She was still a bit wobbly on her feet but she felt alright apart from the fact her back felt like it was on fire. She flinched every time she moved it and she was sure Mycroft saw it but he didn't say anything so she didn't say anything. They walked to his car and they both went into the back. The two Holmes siblings sat there in silence until Mycroft said. "Is there anything you're not telling us?"

India gulped. "No brother." Her voice was unstable and she 100% knew Mycroft knew she was lying but neither of them said anymore about it. They pulled up outside Baker street and they got out of the car. Mycroft opened the door and they both went upstairs into Sherlock's flat. Sherlock was in the kitchen doing some sort of experiment but he stopped in the middle of it when his brother and sister came in.

"Oh good, you're here. Your room is ready upstairs." Sherlock said as he took his gloves and goggles off. 

India felt a bit awkward. She knew she would be fine with her brothers but they had changed within the two years they hadn't seen each other. She followed Sherlock upstairs into her new room and stopped at the sight. She'd never seen a room like it. Three of the walls were a nice cream colour and the forth wall was a pale purple. That was the wall where her bed was. Her bed was in the corner opposite the window and It had crisp sheets with unicorn patterns and it was full of teddy bears so there was hardly any room to fit a person on it. The window had a desk underneath it. It had draws stacked with pencils and pens and paint and paper inside. On the remaining wall, there was a chest of draws/ wardrobe that had a mirror and a whiteboard on it and it stood on a really fluffy red rug. She had her mouth open in awe the whole time she spectated the room. Mycroft and Sherlock watched on in amusement.

"Is it up to standard?" Mycroft asked her as he leant his umbrella against a wall.

India nodded. "Yes, it's really nice thank you."

"Of course we can get you some more possessions but I don't really know what you like nowadays." He said.

She sat on her bed in a bounce. "Well, you would've known what I liked if you visited now and again." She stated. "But I really like the room."

Mycroft sighed and sat next to her but Sherlock lingered by the door. "Mummy told us not to come. We tried endlessly but it was impossible."

"You of all people should know nothing is impossible." They all kept quiet for a bit and India started playing with one of her sheet corners. "At one point, I thought you had forgotten about me or that you didn't care anymore. What's your excuse for that?" 

"India I apologise. I know I should've tried harder." He said while looking at the rug.

The small looked at him. "It's ok Mycroft but please don't do that again." She then looked at Sherlock. "I know it's almost physically for you to say sorry to anyone about anything but I can almost see the guilt in your eyes so I forgive you too." 

Sherlock nodded and went out of the room and Mycroft stood up again. "Are you going to tell me what else is wrong?" He questioned. 

India shook her head but then paused and sighed. "Ok, then but whatever you do, don't react." She stood up, turned around, and lifted the back of her pajama top. She heard Mycroft take a deep breath and she turned around again. "So."

Mycroft just nodded and looked out of the window. "I'm afraid we're going to have to see someone about that."

India bit her lip. "I thought you ran the world. Can't you sort it out?"

"I deal with stopping wars. I don't have any authority to deal with child abuse." He looked at her. "I can't believe she did this."

Sherlock came back into the room with a plate of toast but saw his brother's and sisters' faces. He deduced it and looked at his brother to make sure he got it right and Mycroft's body language confirmed it. He turned to his sister and gave her the plate of toast. "Might be a good idea if you slept or rested or something. He stepped out of the room and Mycroft followed him. India took a bite of toast and flopped onto her bed but winced in pain as it had pulled on the wound. She fell asleep not long later and woke up when it was dark. She quietly went downstairs and saw Sherlock laying on the sofa with his hands together in front of his face. She went into the kitchen and found a cup in the cupboard and checked it for any chemicals. She knew what her brother was like and when she had finished, she checked the tap for chemicals before poring some water into the cup. She drank it slowly and felt the ice-cold liquid run down her throat. Once it was finished, she put it on the draining board and looked out of the window. She saw people walking about and a few busses and taxes so she didn't think it was that late, but then she realised it was London so it didn't really mean anything. She went downstairs and went to the door. She opened it and sat on the doormat to watch the world go by. About half an hour went by and a door from behind her opened and a lady walked out of it. India stood up and shut the front door.

"Are you Mrs. Hudson?" India asked her and Mrs. Hudson nodded.

"Yes dear, I am. And you must be Sherlock's sister. Well, I hope you won't be as much trouble as he is. Or Mycroft if it comes to that." She said.

India smiled. "Well, I can't promise anything, Mrs. Hudson. I think the trouble is written in the Holmes's DNA code."

Mrs. Hudson rolled her eyes half-heartedly. "Well never mind that. It's quite late, shouldn't you be in bed?"

India shrugged." Probably, but I've just woken up from a very long nap"

"Ok, dear. I'll let you off just this one time. Do you want me to cook you anything?" She asked the little girl.

"Well I wouldn't want to intrude or anything but yes, please," India said.

Mrs. Hudson lead her to her flat. "A quick omelet won't do anybody any harm." She opened the door and took India to the kitchen where she made them both Omelets. They talked about a few things and India helped Mrs. Hudson tidy the plates away. Then she went up to her room and fell asleep again until morning.

She woke up again and it was light. She stayed in bed for a little bit before going back downstairs. Sherlock was now sitting in a chair and looking on his phone. "Could you ask Mycroft if he could get me an analog clock?" India asked her brother.

"Why can't you ask him?" He asked her back while still looking at his phone.

"I don't have a phone do I." She pointed out. "And don't say what you're about to say because it's probably going to be along the lines of ask him to get you a phone."

He looked at her and rolled his eyes. A few seconds later he started typing and then put his phone down. "Are happy now?"

India nodded and looked at him. "You really need to start sleeping you know."

"I was busy." Was all he said.

India sighed and went into the kitchen. She took out some eggs and cracked them into a pan. She cooked them and added some black pepper and salt and left it to cook. She buttered some toast and but everything on two plates and gave one of them to her brother. He reluctantly took it and put it on his lap. India ate hers up and put it on the side and went upstairs to get dressed in some leggings a top and a hoodie. She came back into the living room and smiled when she saw her brother had eaten it. "I'm going to guess that Mycroft said you had to stay here with me today."

"Yup." He simply said.

"Well I've had enough rest so can we go outside?" She asked.

Sherlock grinned and stood up. "Where do you want to go?

India shrugged. "I don't mind." She went to go and but on her new coat and some comfy boots and they were ready to go out. Sherlock, of course, had his coat and scarf on. 

"I don't suppose you want to go to any museums so I'll just take you for a walk." He said

"Do you know every street in London?" She asked her brother.

Sherlock smiled. "I could walk them with my eyes closed."

India watched someone nearly walk into a street lamp because they weren't looking where they were going. "Can you teach me every street in London?"

Sherlock's smile turned into a grin. "If you want." They walked for a bit and they ended up at Scotland yard. India gave him a questioning look. "I need to ask Lestrade something," He said. She didn't say anything and they stayed there for an hour and a half. In that time, India showed someone the scars on her back and told them about what happened. Then they went back to Bakerstreet and Sherlock told her about some of the cases he did.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The rest of September, October and November went by and everything seemed to get better for the little girl. Mycroft made up of the spare rooms in his house for her in case she wanted to stay there sometimes, and she did quite regularly. Especially when Sherlock was in one of his moods where he didn't move from the sofa for days. She liked it at Mycroft's but she didn't have a favorite place to stay and she didn't have a favorite brother. She loved them both the same, even if they were incredibly annoying sometimes but that's only to be expected. Her room at Mycroft's was nothing like her room in Bakerstreet. For one it was bigger and it had more windows so it was brighter. India also liked it at Mycroft's because it had a library. It reminded her of the library her brothers had told her about in the original Homles building before it burnt down so obviously it was almost an exact copy. 

She got to know Greg Lestrade better as he kept coming to Baker street to see if Sherlock had a case and he even went around Mycroft's sometimes because they had become friends. She met Molly at one point when no one else could babysit her and they ended up baking a load of different things. She also talked to Anthea when she wasn't busy and they had run talking about things that boys wouldn't understand. Winter came and all that was on everybody's mind was Christmas. Well, it was on everyone's but Mycroft and Sherlock's mind. India didn't know what to think about it as she hadn't really had a Christmas before. She assumed Mycroft and Sherlock didn't either and that's why they didn't bother with it. One time Mycroft told her that Mummy would expect them to turn up for Christmas dinner if she invited them so luckily she didn't this time around. He also said that she and Sherlock could have dinner at his on Christmas day and that was the last that talked about it until the day. Christmas day arrived and a car took the two youngest to Mycroft's House about ten in the morning. The place was barely decorated but at least Mycroft had made some effort for his sister. There were some presents in the living room and India took two presents out of the bag she was carrying and put them on the pile. Mycroft and Sherlock pretended to hate each other but they still got each other presents so they obviously didn't hate each other. The day went pretty well. They had dinner and they even pulled crackers but Mycroft scoffed at the terrible jokes and refused to wear the hat. It had gotten dark so the fire was lit and they played board games until the Doctor who Christmas special came on. Christmas day was a good day for the three of them and probably the best they had ever had.

A few weeks came and went and then it was Sherlock's eighteenth birthday. It wasn't as big as Christmas but they still celebrated and India helped Mrs. Hudson make a cake. A few weeks after that, Sherlock went to the morgue one morning and came back in the evening saying that they could possibly have a flatmate tomorrow. He told his sister all about it and he said there was going to be a number of tests before the flatmate could pass. First, he had to accept Sherlock being more clever than the average person. Then he would have to have the right attitude with having a four-year-old in the flat. Next would be if he could take the crimes and everything and the final test was Mycroft. India asked him what he meant and he just said: "You haven't seen Mycrofts scary side."

"What happens if he doesn't pass the tests?" India asked him.

"Then obviously he's not going to be our flatmate. His name is John Watson and he should be here at about seven PM tomorrow." He said to her as he sat down on his chair. "And if he does pass then he'll have to be in the room next to yours."

India just nodded and went up to her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you think of it. Honest opinions are fine.


	4. A girl in the middle of a crime scene

The next morning India woke up and went downstairs to get some breakfast. Her brother was sitting on his chair and holding his violin and scrolling through his phone. Around him was a load of papers thrown about the place and India just rolled her eyes and sat on the sofa.

"Shouldn't you tidy up if we have someone coming over?" She asked him.

Sherlock didn't look away from his phone. "Why should I?"

India sighed and went back up to get dressed. She took out some paper and pencils and went back to the living room. Sherlock hadn't moved an inch and she sat on the floor in front of the sofa. She started drawing her brother as there was nothing better to draw <https://photos.app.goo.gl/j5rAJv2texcb3Zo4A> It only took her a few hours to shade everything and get a general shape of it done. Sherlock turned to look at it and expected to look like the average four-year-old drawing but instead he said,

“Where did you learn to do that?” Sherlock took the drawing from her and spectated it. It was pretty accurate and precise.

India shrugged. “I didn’t learn from anywhere. I just observed you carefully and put it to paper.” She said.

“It’s actually pretty good.” He handed the picture back to her. “I’m going out. See you around seven.” He went to put his coat on and left the flat.

Mrs. Hudson came up with some ham sandwiches. “Is he off again?” She put the sandwiches on the sofa. “I can never keep up with your brothers.”

India was trying to be very polite and not telling Mrs. Hudson to go away as she wanted to be alone. “Did he tell you that he’s getting a flatmate?”

“No, he didn’t.” Mrs. Hudson said. “I’d better get ready.” She left the room and the small girl got back to drawing. It was only little sketches of the flat but it kept her busy for a few hours. She cooked herself some pasta and had that for dinner just before the front door opened. She heard three voices. Mrs. Hudson’s, Sherlock’s, and another man's who obviously belonged to John Watson. Two sets of feet climbed the stairs and the door opened. India only looked up from her paper for a second and she went back to drawing what she saw in front of her. Sherlock politely introduced them which made the little girl laugh inside because when did her brother do anything politely. Mrs. Hudson then came up and joked around a bit about needing two bedrooms and India really did try not to laugh loudly. She caught her brothers’ eye and he was trying to do the same. He looked out of the window and not long later, Greg came up the stairs. India immediately started a basic sketch of him and she memorised exactly how he was in her mind as he left a few moments later with John and Sherlock following.

She was halfway through it by the time Sherlock had come back with a pink case but John wasn’t there.

“Get off the sofa,” Sherlock said to her bluntly.

India looked up from her drawing and realised it had gotten dark. “Why. I’m sitting on the sofa.”

“Yes I know you’re on the sofa but I need to think so get off the sofa.” He demanded.

The small girl sighed and rolled her eyes as she went to sit in her brother’s chair. “Has Mycroft spoken to him yet?”

“Probably.” He flung himself onto the sofa.

“I bet you ten pounds Mycroft has set up a very dramatic kidnapping scheme,” India said as she shaded a bit more of the drawing.

Sherlock looked at her. “You don’t have ten pounds to bet with.”

“I don’t but Mycroft does.” She grinned.

Her brother smirked. “And here I was worrying that you would grow up to be like our brother.”

“Yes, but you grew up a lot like him so technically we all have a bit of Mycroft in us.” She said without looking from her picture. “How is John with solving cases?”

“Terrible. “He answered. “But He’ll learn quickly.”

“And I assume the pink case you carried in was some evidence of the so-called suicides.” Sherlock nodded. “You do realise Greg is going to chase you up with it. I think he’ll realise in about an hour maybe.”

“Possibly but the police are idiots,” Sherlock said.

India put the paper and pencils down and went to the case. “Tell me about the woman this belongs too and how she ended up dead,” Sherlock told his sister about the dead woman but not in grueling detail because she was only four and Mycroft would probably kill him. “So she came here on Holiday.” She thought about it for a bit. “You appear to have no idea who did it. Are you stupid or something brother?” She turned to look at him. “We’re in London. What do people usually take a ride in if they’re on holiday or if it’s rainy or something? They take a cab.”

Sherlock sat up. “I know they all took a cab I just need to know who killed them.”

“What’s the possibility of them taking the same cab?” She asked.

“Quite low but still possible.” He said.

“So the murderer is the cabby driver.” She told him loudly.

Sherlock gave her an odd look. “How did you solve it that quickly?”

“You and Mycroft are my brothers. That’s how.” India sat back on the chair and resumed her drawing. “Are you going to tell Greg?”

He lay back on the sofa. “No of course not. I need to let him get some work done.”

“Isn’t it time to text John?” She asked.

Sherlock got his phone out and texted him. “Can you be quiet now? I need to pretend to think.”

“Yes ok, I’ll be quiet. I need to finish this by the time Greg gets here.” She carried on drawing. Half an hour later John came up and set something about meeting Sherlock’s arch-enemy. India saw that highly amusing and the other two started to try and solve the case. They left again and India had about twenty-five minutes of peace before a few police cars showed up outside. A group of police people came up into the flat and Greg came in first.

“Are you actually going to say hello this time?” India asked him without looking up. She had almost finished the picture and she only needed to add a few bits. It was very detailed.

Greg looked at her. “I’m sorry. Hello. Has he left you here again?”

India peered up at him. “Mrs. Hudson is downstairs. And do you really think that doing a drug bust is a good excuse just to tell him off for keeping evidence?”

“Anderson thought of it.” He said and his people looked around the flat.

“That explains a lot.” She muttered so Anderson didn’t hear her. “But seriously though. Do you think Mycroft would let him have drugs in the house when I’m here?”

“What about when you’re at Mycroft’s place?” He replied.

She just shrugged. “I wouldn’t know that because I’m not here.” She finished the picture and stared at it for a few seconds before handing it to him. “What do you think?”

He took it and looked at it in amazement. “How did you do that?” He took hit over to Sally Donovan who looked at it in surprise.

“I would let you keep it Greg but not while you’re on duty. It would just get screwed up in your pocket and that would be a waste of time on my part.” She said.

“You know you sound just like Mycroft.” He said to her.

She smiled. “That was my intention. Sherlock finds it annoying at I’m more like Mycroft then him. I think John and Sherlock are back now.” She told him as the front door opened.

She watched her brother and John come through the door and look at Greg like he had committed the worst crime ever. Then Sherlock did a lot of shouting which was uncalled for and Mrs. Hudson kept telling Sherlock he had a cab waiting for him outside.

“What a coincidence,” India said but only Sherlock heard her and he looked at her in amusement. Then Mrs. Hudson let him in and the small girl had to restrain her self from saying could you not let the murderer into the flat. Sherlock decided it was a good idea to go off with the murderer and everyone else made off to follow but India went up to Greg and said. “Can I come with you?”

“No, you can’t come with us. We’re catching a murderer.” He firmly said.

“But you can’t leave me alone. Mrs. Hudson went out a few minutes ago and It’s illegal to leave a four-year-old in a building alone. Besides, Mycroft will be there and I want to stay with him for a bit.” She retorted back.

Greg didn’t like this idea at all but he gave in. “Ok, but you are to stay in the back of the car at all times. The Murderer could have a gun with him.”

India picked up her paper and followed him out of the flat. “Unlikely. If his choice of weapon is poison then he wouldn’t use a gun. Even if he had one with him it wouldn’t be loaded or it would be a fake.”

They got into Greg's car. “Better to be safe than sorry. Anyway, how would you know about that? You’re four.”

India looked out of the window. “You pick up a few things if you spend a certain amount of time with Sherlock. We better get there quick. Sherlock will probably want to show off by proving a point and that probably;y means taking the poison.”

They sped along the roads until they reached the place where the phone was being tracked. Greg got out of the car and India stayed inside like she was told. She looked out and heard a distant gunshot. It obviously wasn’t the Murderer but it was someone else probably saving Sherlock from doing anything stupid. A little bit later, John came out of one of the buildings, unseen by anyone part from the little four-year-old sitting in a police car. Sherlock came out of another building a little bit later shortly followed by some people with a stretcher. Obviously, that was the murderer. India saw her brother being sat at the end of an Ambulance with an orange blanket over his shoulders which he didn’t seem impressed by. The little girl also saw a black car drive up and she knew it must be Mycroft so she got out of the car and went to where Sherlock and John stood.

Sherlock looked at her when she came up to them. “What are you doing here? I’m pretty sure Greg didn’t let you here out of his own heart as he wouldn’t let a little girl be in the middle of a crime scene.”

“Mrs. Hudson went out. Greg didn’t think it was a good idea for me to be left alone.” She answered.

“In other words you made him feel guilty for if he left you alone.” Sherlock retorted.

India scrunched up her face. “Same thing isn’t it?”

Mycroft came up to them and the two brothers immediately pretended to hate each other. “You know mummy wouldn’t appreciate that you lead our little sister out to a crime scene.”

“Like she’d care,” India muttered.

John got very confused and India told him they were all siblings much to his surprise.

Sherlock and Mycroft had pretend banter and the parted as John and Sherlock wanted Chinese. That left the oldest and the youngest standing there watching them run along.

“Anyway sister, Why are you here?” Mycroft asked her.

“I wanted a change of scenery and I did solve the case before anyone else.” She told him.

Mycroft looked at her. “Well it’s lucky I changed the bedclothes in your room then isn’t it.” He took a glance at the paper in her hand. “Have you been drawing?”

“Yes. I need to give this one to Greg.” She handed him the picture of Greg but he couldn’t see it properly as it was dark.

“I need a word with him anyway.” They walked to the direction to where Greg was. “Gregory, may we have a word?”

Greg nodded and the three of them went into a place where no one could hear them. “Before you say anything I had no choice in the matter.”

Mycroft waved him off. “No, it’s not about that. My little sister does tend to persuade people very often. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to have a drink at a place sometime this week.”

Greg looked very surprised. “I. Um. Yes sure.”

Mycroft nodded. “Thank you, Gregory.”

India smirked and handed Greg the drawing. “You can have it now.”

“Thanks.” He said. He was probably still processing that Mycroft had done that. Someone called him and he went.

Mycroft and India went to the car and the shofar took them back to his house. “Don’t say a word.” He warned her.

India giggled a bit. “I promise I won’t tell Sherlock but he’ll probably know it by tomorrow.”

“And that is the problem of teaching him the science of deduction. No one has any privacy.” He muttered.

“I mean it’s not like he’ll see it on you as you can do the best emotionless expression ever, but Greg would have it written all over him.” She agreed.

“We had better hope John Watson keeps his interest away from anything else.” He said. “It won’t last long though. And I believe you and Sherlock have placed a bet over me?”

“I bet ten pounds that you would talk to John in the most dramatic way possible. And I was right.” India looked at her brother in amusement. “Archenemy though. Seriously?”

Mycroft rolled his eyes. “Actually I got that of Sherlock.”

“Sure you did.” India challenged.

Mycroft gave up. “Be quiet little sister.

India grinned at the fact she had won that one. Soon they got to the house and the small girl said hello to Anthea who was there to speak to Mycroft about something important. India got ready for bed as it was very late and she fell asleep before Mycroft had finished.


	5. Getting bored

India had spent quite a bit at Mycrfots house before she came back to Baker Street. Mycroft said it would be a good idea to let John get used to their brother alone for a while because he might not be able to deal with two Holmes siblings in the same building. The small girls spent most of her time in the library when Mycroft had important government work to do but she came went with him when he went to the Diogenes Club. She was allowed to sit through a few meetings and watch her brother bring people down by just looking at them which she found extremely funny. It wasn't long before India started getting bored of her oldest brothers owning the government daily routine so she said she wanted to go back to Sherlock. Solving crimes was much more Exciting and Sherlock let her do a lot more so the next afternoon Anthea dropped her off at Baker Street. The little girl thanked Mycrofts PA and climbed the stairs up to the flat. She opened the door to find her brother experimenting with a jumper and some dangerous chemical. 

Sherlock didn't look up but said. "Did you finally get fed up of him bossing you around?"

India took off her coat and hung it up next to Sherlocks. " No. I got bored of him telling other people what to do. Running the government sounds unexciting and tedious."

"It's useful if we need to be let off something." He told her.

India picked up the sleeve of the jumper and inspected it. "Will John mind that you're using this for an experiment."

Sherlock briefly looked at it. "He shouldn't. It's hideous."

"It is rather," India said.

"And that is the sign when you know you've spent too much time with Mycroft." He muttered.

The front door opened downstairs and not long later, John came into the flat. India internally counted to ten and right on the dot, he said. "Is that my jumper?"

India grinned and ran to her room so Sherlock could deal with a jumperless John. She heard some shouting downstairs but that was mostly John so obviously her brother was making sarcastic comments. It died down in just over an hour so she went into the living room where her brother was in his chair and John was at the kitchen table. Both were completely silent and with frowns on their face.

"Are you two seriously in a strop?" She got no reply so she flopped on the sofa. "Have you asked Greg for a case?"

"He won't give me one." He muttered. 

India rolled her eyes. "Well, you have to do something. What are we having tonight?"

"Probably a takeaway," John called from the other room.

"But you've had takeaway every day for the past week." She told them.

John came into the living room and sat in his chair. "How did you know that?"

India chucked a cushion on the floor. "I'm Sherlock's sister. I know things."

"But you're four." He persisted.

She sat up and gave him a look. "John, surely you realised that we have some sort of intelligence that overrules the entire of London." She went into the kitchen and started getting pots and pans out. "I'll cook dinner seeing as both of you are incapable of doing so."

"Do you need help?" John asked.

"No, I'm fine. Mummy taught me how to cook without having the slightest of mistakes." She saw her brother raise his eyebrow as if he was surprised she mentioned their mother. India rolled her eyes and opened the fridge. The first thing she saw was a pile of human fingers. "Sherlock, would it kill you to put these fingers in a bag or a box?"

"No. It's for an experiment." He said in a monotone.

"Get another fridge then. This food will have to be chucked out now. I'm not going to eat finger contaminated food." She said.

John went to get his phone. "Maybe we'll have to get a take out. I'll get the shopping tomorrow."

India went back to her room and sat on the window ledge. She watched the people go by and while it started to rain. She heard her brother start playing the violin, probably just to annoy John. Dinner cam and then the young girl got ready for bed. Sherlock started playing again well into the night and soon she fell into a dreamless sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

India woke up to a loud bang and crash. She looked at her clock which said something after ten in the morning so she went downstairs. The door was open and she spotted her brother fighting with someone who had a word. Maybe it was best to stay out of the way until he was gone. Some people came to take him away so India thought it was safe enough for now.

"How did he get that through customs?" She pointed to the sword.

"Probably did it illegally." He sat on his chair and got a book out.

She took her sketchbook and a pencil from the table and started drawing how she thought the fight looked. John came up the stairs without any bags and basically called Sherlock lazy for not doing anything. He took his card and went to retrieve the shopping. India showed her brother the drawing.

"The perspective of movement needs work but you've got the majority of it." He took Johns computer and went on it while India made some changes.

About an hour later John came back with the shopping and told Sherlock off for using the computer and moaned about needing a job. If India hadn't been brought up with manners then she would've said something like 'Then get a job. Don't expect Sherlock to do everything for you.' But she had been brought up with manners so she only said this in her head. Her brother didn't listen to anything John said. He said he needed to go to the bank which made India stand up quickly.

"Can I come with you?" She asked.

Sherlock just stared at her. "You're interested in going to the bank?"

India rolled her eyes. "Sherlock don't treat me like I'm a child."

"You are a child." He replied in amusement. "Go and get dressed then and don't take long."

India ran upstairs and got dressed in some leggings and a woolly dress. She put on her beenie hat and put her coat on. Sherlock and John were waiting for her by the front door and they hailed a cab and made their way to the 'Bank'. 

The three of them made their way to an office where a very posh man (Though not as posh as Mycroft) came in. Sherlock introduced him as Sebastian and India noted that her brother didn't really like him that much. Obviously they were at uni together before Sherlock dropped out and did the exams elsewhere. Her brother started deducing him in a certain way which meant Sebastion really wasn't a person Sherlock got along with. Now she understood why he dropped out early.

Sebastion offered her brother money and she knew it insulted him because he would never do anything for money. Her brother may be a rude and obnoxious person but he would never sink that low. Sherlock left the room and India followed him. He took a few pictures of the picture with the graffiti and India went up to it. 

"Is this spray paint?" She asked him. He didn't say anything but his eyes confirmed it for her. He then danced around the offices while trying to look for some clues and India did the same. Just without the dancing. She made sure she had the painting in her sight at all times and stepped backwards until she bumped into a door. It had Edward Vancoon printed onto it and was almost going to tell Sherlock but decided she didn't want to ruin his fun. They left the bank and Sherlock explained to John about what they were looking for. 

"Can I go and run about London?" India asked her brother. 

He looked at her intensely for thirty seconds before saying. "Ok but make sure you..."

India interrupted. "Only go into the places you know. Don't go anywhere that doesn't have CCTV don't talk to strangers and be home by four." 

Sherlock nodded and was about to make a move towards a cab but John was unhappy about the arrangement and stopped him. "Wait, you're letting a four-year-old walk around London by herself?"

Sherlock sighed. "Of course I'm not letting her walk around by her self. Mycroft has people everywhere and she's safe." He grabbed John's arms and pulled him towards a cab. India went down the road and wondered where she should go. The rule about only going where she knew was getting a bit silly. She knew almost every street in London but she didn't often go out of central. There were a few ally ways and underground stations she didn't know yet but all in all, she could walk 87% of London with her eyes closed. In the end, she decided to make her way to st pauls just because why not. She got there and watched as the tourists had no idea what was going on as people were picking purses out of their rucksacks. There were quite a few pickpockets in the area today as well as other lawbreakers. She saw a few drug dealers as well as a soon to be murderer. She should probably tell Greg about that one. She examined him in detail and took a small note pad and pen out of her coat pocket to draw a quick sketch. Once she had finished it, she pocketed the notepad and made her way to Scotland yard. She took a bus as it would take too long to walk and went into the building. The secretaries had gotten used to seeing her so they let her in without question and she went to Greg's office. There was no one in so they must have been called out so she left the sketch on his desk with a note saying,

**Greg,**

**This person was snooping around St Pauls. He's obviously going to murder someone sometime this week. Probably his girlfriend because she's cheating on him. Sorry, the picture isn't very detailed. I didn't have enough time to do it properly.**

**India Holmes.**

She walked out of the yard and headed home where she made herself some hot chocolate in Mrs Hudsons kitchen. It was dark before John and Sherlock came back and John made dinner. Like it was a proper edible meal that didn't have the lingering smell of a takeaway. The day was over and done with and India had an early night while the two adults talked about the case.

The next morning, John had gone for a job interview and Sherlock was stuck in his mind palace so India spent some time with Mrs Hudson. They started and completed a 1000 piece puzzle in just over an hour. John came back from the interview and India followed him upstairs where her brother was still in her mind palace. In the end, the three of them went to the yard to confront DI Dimmock and went to the flat where another person had been murdered. India had to stay outside though because Dimmock put his foot down at that point. They went to the library where they find another cypher and then back to Bakerstreet. Sherlock and John went back into the city but India stayed in the flat and read a book she borrowed out of the library. The book was about the art of crime catching which she found interesting. Her brother and John kept coming in and out so she went up to her room for a bit of privacy. India got bored with the book not long after so she went into Sherlocks room and took his laptop. The password was quite easy to decode and started to look up Chinese smuggling. I mean there was nothing else to do so it wouldn't hurt to gather a bit more knowledge. Sherlock and John came back a few hours later and her brother printed some sheets off.

"Why are you using my laptop?" He asked.

India closed the tab. "Mine hasn't been made yet. "She told him and handed him his device back. 

"And you were looking up Chinese Smuggling?" He questioned.

The young girls shrugged. "I was curious."

He rolled his eyes and got back to work with the case. John had fallen asleep at the table and India thought it would be a good idea to go to bed. 

The next day went sort of as usual. India made breakfast and watched as her brother danced around a hundred books. She did help a little bit but it became tedious so she drew the entire thing instead. 

"Mycroft's getting suspicious." She said out loud for no reason.

Sherlock looked at her for a second before sorting out more books. "I thought Mycroft is generally suspicious."

"Oh, I've got it." She exclaimed. "Greg hasn't been in for the past few days and Mycroft would've checked in on us by now to tell us what to do."

Sherlock looked slightly repelled. "That's more information then I needed. If you're in the mood to show everyone how much more intelligent you are then Mycroft and I, then you can help with the case."

India put down her sketch pad and observed the piles of books properly. "What are the main books that everyone would have? It wouldn't be the dictionary because people have different types. It could be some sort of a guide book or a map book or something?"

Sherlock turned towards the board and John came up from work. Sherlock pretended he didn't know what a date was and tricked John into going to the circus. Sherlock left around the time John left and her brother asked if she wanted to go but decided against it, so instead, she continued reading the library book. She read quite a chunk of it before she was interrupted again by her brother, John and his date. She remarked on being starving and it took nearly all of the little girl not to tell her what her mother drilled into her. 'Don't say starving. The only people who are starving are those who don't get meals worth of food a day.'

John opened up the fridge and obviously there was nothing in it which was odd because he only just did the shopping the other day. Mrs Hudson came in and Johns date did something clever for once. Her brother was ready to run off but she decided she didn't want to stay so she quickly got her shoes and coat off and they went out of the flat. They bumped into a German couple and missed the cab they were going to hail. They were holding a book that everyone in London would own and he went to get it. 

"I was right. It is a guide book." India said as he looked through the pages to decode it. 

"Yes, very good now be quiet." He told her. He decoded it and both of them ran back to Baker Street. They went up and John was gone but there was one of the cyphers. 

"The smugglers took him," India said out loud.

Sherlock nodded and before running back out he said. "Go to bed."

"And miss out the fun?" India retorted.

"It's dangerous." He told her.

She wasn't going to lose this argument. "Yeah. Just being related to you and Mycroft is dangerous. I mean they'll obviously try to kill Johns date as leverage. There will be more then one of them so if you're trying to get his date out of the firing aim then there will be no one stopping the other so many smugglers trying to kill out. I'm small enough not to be noticed so I can chop them behind the knee and do the professional self-defence you taught me."

It took precisely five seconds for him to agree. They took a cab to an abandoned place and waited in the shadows until the right moment. Sherlock announced himself and he thumped a few people with a metal pipe. One of the people came behind Sherlock unexpected and ready to pounce but India tripped him up and he banged his head rather hard on the wall. He didn't get up again which was a good sign. Sherlock, then, immediately started untying Sarah but another dude tried to stop him. No one else saw India so she snuck behind the shooting thing and moved it slightly so it wouldn't hit anyone apart from the lead smuggler. She then went to help the dude get off her brother but saw John was about to knock the thing over so got out of the way just in time for it to go off. India bit her lip and went over to untie John. She had thought up of a lot of different escape routes that John and Sarah could've done. For one, Sarah could've tipped herself over on the floor so the thing didn't hit her but that probably didn't even cross her mind.

They went back to the flat and Sherlock told her to go to bed and she didn't argue. She dreamt for the first time in a while. She sitting on a swing in the garden and her mother came up to her. It started off nice and happy but the swing grew higher and higher and her mother slowly changed into a monster with greatly sharp teeth. She was coming towards her but India couldn't go anywhere because she would fall. There were only a few things India was scared of and falling from a hight was one of them. It then started to rain but the rain was fire and it burnt like Hell. Her mother started muttering to her but she couldn't understand what she was saying. She caught a few words. The words her mother always said to her. The fire was getting hotter and her mother was getting closer and the swing was getting higher. It seemed to go on like this forever until she fell off. India kept falling and falling and falling into nothingness and she woke up. The little girls sat up in her room at Bakerstreet. It was the early hours of the morning and she didn't want to go to sleep again in case the dream came back. It seemed too real for her liking so she went downstairs with one of her teddies and duvet. Sherlock was still up (No surprise there.) and he sat at the table going through his computer. 

India sat on the sofa and snuggled up. He gave his sister a quick look. "Nightmare?" He asked.

The little girl nodded and rested her head on a cushion. "Are you still working?"

"I'm just finding out who the jade pin belongs to." He replied without taking his eyes off the screen.

"Nice surprise for the person who does own it," India said.

Sherlock's phone buzzed and he looked at it. "Have you been catching murders without telling me? Lestrade texted."

"Oh, it was just a thing. I was taking a walk and saw him. " She paused a second. "I intended to catch him before he got to murder anyone but I suspect Greg saw the note too late. What did he say?" Sherlock handed her his phone and she went up to him to read the text.

**LESTRADE: 02:31**

**Sherlock. Tell your sister I say thank you for catching someone. I saw the note too late so said person had already killed his girlfriend but it definitely made it easier to get him. Also, tell her that next time she sees anything to go and give it to one of the secretaries so if I'm not in than of the other DIs can do the job. GL**

She read the text and gave her brother his phone back. "He could've said all of that next time he saw me."

"The thought probably didn't occur to him," Sherlock said. Then he grinned and closed the laptop. "I found her. Oh, she's going to get the shock of a lifetime."

India nodded and yawned. "We'll go later today then."

Sherlock looked at her. "Go and get comfy on the sofa. I'll play the violin for a bit."

India went back to the sofa and wrapped herself in the duvet. Sherlock picked up the Stradivarius and started playing some old lullabies. India fell asleep within half an hour and didn't have any more weird dreams.

She woke up hours later and walked into the kitchen where Sherlock and John were talking. India got herself some toast and brought the duvet back upstairs before putting some clothes on. They went to the bank not long later and went up to the floor where Sebastiens office was. John went to get the check signed and the two Holmeses went to tell Vancoons PA that she had been wearing a 9 million pound hairpin.

They came back to Baker Street and India went up to her room to chill for a bit. 


End file.
